You are invited to the 2nd Annual African American and African Diaspora Gathering 2015

“Black Lives Matter: Where Do We Go From Here?”

Hear dynamic presentations and vision for the future; be a listener and connect with our community on the state and interests of African Americans and residents from the African Diaspora in Seattle/King County.

This gathering will bring us together with invited local policy and decision makers for an opportunity to present 2014 wins and challenges, opportunities and recommendations including: housing, economic development, education, arts, technology and community inclusion.

Lead Community Convener
Honorable Dawn Mason
Former WA State Representative

Hear dynamic presentations and vision for the future; be a listener, get connected and give your input on the state and interests of African Americans and residents from the African Diaspora in Seattle/King County.

This gathering will bring us together with invited local policy and decision makers for an opportunity to present 2014 wins and challenges, opportunities and recommendations including: education, housing, economic development, arts, technology and more.

There will also be an Elder of Distinction & Emerging Leaders recognition ceremony.

Marcia Tate Arunga is an artist, writer, educator, entrepreneur, and cultural custodian. She is the principal consultant for Arunga and Associates and co-founder of Cultural Reconnection Mission. Since 2000, she has led delegations of women of African descent to Kenya, where she lived for over a decade. She is author of The Stolen Ones: And How They Were Missed is a well told, colorfully illustrated story about children for children.

Dr. Joye Hardiman

Is the reitred Executive Director of The Evergreen State College Tacoma Campus, a position she held from 1991-2007. She is an educator, scholar and life-long learner. Dr. Hardiman is a frequent keynote speaker, a sought-after institute and workshop designer/facilitator. She has over 25 years of experience as an engaged and reflective practitioner of Learning Community Excellence and Higher Education Reform.

K. Wyking Garrett

A social entrepreneur and educator, K. Wyking Garrett is the founding director of Umoja PEACE Center and part of the leadership team of the Africatown-Central District community development initiative. He is a recognized change agent and recipient of the 2014 Center for Ethical Leadership Legacy Leadership Award. He is also founder and principal of Remix Marketing & Consulting, a communications firm specializing in the areas of youth and cultural program development, marketing, and event planning.

David Harris

David is a cultural entrepreneur that works as a manager at TAF, where his focus is on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Integration and Entrepreneurial Education. He’s also a graduate student in the University of Washington’s Human Centered Design and Engineering Master’s Program. His passion is facilitating resource-constrained communities learning, creating, and sharing of knowledge, tools, and materials to create feasible, culturally relevant opportunities for upward economic mobility. In 2014, he formed Hack the CD – a collective of self determined social innovators focused on the creation of sustainable, equitable growth through entrepreneurship in the Central District of Seattle. Currently, they’re focused on answering the question, “How might we create fertile ground for the African American community in Seattle to grow with the city’s current tech boom?”

Jaebadiah Gardner

Jaebadiah is the Founder & CEO of GardnerGlobal, Inc. and is the Managing Partner for Onpoint Real Estate Services, LLC. He manages the day-to-day business at Onpoint which consists of a healthy portfolio of residential properties currently under management, leads in negotiations and drives business development. Jaebadiah earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Washington and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids, MI. Prior to attending law school, Jaebadiah worked as project engineer for Turner Construction building commercial high-rises in downtown Seattle. He currently sits as a Board Member of Capitol Hill Housing, in the Emerging Leader seat; is a member of the Washington State Department of Commerce Minority Business Roundtable; is an ambassador for the Friends of the Waterfront Seattle redevelopment project; member of the Mayor’s Kitchen Cabinet though the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.